ECOWAS Court Orders FG to Pay N88bn Civil War Damages

The President Muhamamdu Buhari-led federal government of Nigeria might be paying a whopping N88 billion civil war damages to victims of the Nigerian civil war as ordered by the ECOWAS court of justice.

An out of court settlement application for a case involving the federal government and nine victims of the Nigerian civil war, was on Monday, granted by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.

Hundreds of mine victims of the war had in 2012, dragged the federal government before the ECOWAS court, asking for an order for the removal of remnants of war instruments stockpiled in 11 states of the south-east, south-south and part of the north-central.

According to TheCable, the instruments are said to include life bombs, abandoned unexploded ordnances (AXO), unexploded ordnances (UXO) and the explosive remnant of war (ERW).

The victims also asked the court to compel the federal government to rehabilitate the areas and compensate them for the damages.

Counsel to both parties on October 24th, filed an application for out-of-court settlement, on the ground that they have reached agreeable terms.

At its sitting on Monday, the court granted the application, ordering the parties to abide by the terms of the settlement.

Part of the terms of the settlement stipulates that the federal government “undertakes to pay, without delay, compensation in the summer of N50 billion in full and final sum to the victims, their families and communities as contained in Schedule 4(1) to this terms of settlement.

“That FG undetakes to the pay of undertakes to lay a total sum of N38 billion as contained in schedule 4(2) to this terms of settlement for the purposes of carrying out total demining and destruction, rebuilding of public buildings, mine centre activities, construction of class rooms, provision of prosthetics and all other activities enumerated thereunder.”